Mark Poland acknowledges there is a Jekyll and Hyde element to Down’s play, something they can’t afford to bring to Breffni Park on Sunday.

In a Championship that has been marred by one-sided encounters, Down’s opening round win over Derry this month has shone like a beacon.

The game was pock-marked with quality scores and attacking football throughout, with Down improving as it progressed to eventually run out 2-17 to 1-15 winners. But that’s a luxury James McCartan’s, inset, can’t afford against Donegal this weekend.

Poland, who netted the killer second goal against Derry, said: “People seem to have this thing about Down that they can turn up on any day but I have always said it, Down have as good as footballers in our county as there is in other counties.

“It is just on some days we don’t produce that and you have seen that in these past few years.

“Last year against Monaghan, I don’t know how much we were down at half-time and we turned it around.

“The same happened against the Derry, the first-half performance compared to the second-half was like night and day.

“When we play well we do play well but on the other side of the coin when we don’t perform we are poor and we know that ourselves.”

Down were swept aside by the Donegal juggernaut in last year’s Ulster final, losing 2-18 to 0-13, despite competing well for long periods of the first-half.

“There is an awful lot down to fitness but if you can’t put the ball over the bar you can’t win games, it’s as simple as that.

“But we felt that those few lapses cost us dearly when the heads did drop for a wee bit and it put a bit of a gloss on the scoreboard. We can’t afford to take our eye off them.”

While Donegal’s style of play has altered the footballing landscape dramatically in recent years, Poland admits Down have perhaps been too slow to evolve.

“We could have been naive in that we went out and just played football. The modern game takes getting men behind the ball and breaking out at speed and Donegal do that better than any other county.

“You can see from the Championship other counties are trying to match them and play the same way.

“But it is alright trying to do that but once the ball is put in front of goal those chances have to be put away and Donegal seem to be very good at doing that too.”

A critical score in last year’s Ulster final was the goal by Donegal’s Leo McLoone shortly before half-time, which came somewhat against the run of play and gave his side the platform to go on and record the 11-point victory.

“They had a great win in Celtic Park, it’s a very hard place to go and get a win, but we know how good they are,” said McLoone.

“They’ve six very good forwards who take a lot of watching.

“Even from last year’s game, it was a lot tighter than the score-line reflected. I think we definitely know how good they are.

“They have some great scoring forwards that will take a lot of watching. I think we need to be on our toes now to stay with them.”